A Dish Best Served Hyper
by TwiLyght Sans Sparkles
Summary: Too much coffee, a half-forgotten Christmas party, and an embarrassing viral video. Revenge is, indeed, a dish best served by a hyperactive teenager. Response to Kitty Ghost's challenge.


_This is in response to Kitty Ghost's challenge. I had a blast writing it, so I hope you have a blast reading it. :) _

* * *

Starbucks.

The very word was a sanctuary in and of itself. To a teenage superhero who had just lost an entire night fending off a half-dozen ghosts, local police and a SWAT team, it was salvation.

He pushed through the smudged glass door, the aroma of coffee beans embracing him like his grandmother at Christmas. Smiling, he got in line and savored the fragrance as it slowly moved forward. When Danny reached the counter, he could have wept with joy.

"One venti triple-shot mocha, hot, with mint and extra whipped cream," he told the barista. "No, on second thought, give me four shots. No, no- five."

"One venti quintuple-shot mocha with whipped cream and mint coming right up!" She flashed a grin and hurried off to make his drink. Danny wanted to hug her.

* * *

When his mocha was ready, Danny gulped it down. The hot drink burned his tongue, but he decided conciousness was worth it. Halfway through his drink, the line shrank to one obese man and a girl Danny guessed was his daughter. The headache that had squeezed his skull like a vise all morning had abated somewhat, but he still wanted to lay his head on the table and sleep. Danny glanced at the drink in his hand and realized that a quintuple-shot mocha just wouldn't cut it. He gulped the rest of his coffee and got back in line.

"Back for more?" the barista asked.

"Yeah, still kinda tired. I'll take a venti triple-shot mocha, iced. Oh, and could I get some of those chocolate-covered coffee beans?"

"You got it!" Two minutes later, Danny was walking down the sidewalk, happily sipping his drink.

* * *

The telephone's insistant ring jerked Vlad Masters from a surprisingly enjoyable novel. Glaring at the pages, he slid down further in his armchair and waited for the answering machine to get it.

"Hi, Vlad! This is Danny! You know, the same Danny you like to fight and torment on a weekly basis? Yeah, it's me! Just wanted to call and say-"

Vlad yanked the phone from its charger. "Daniel! What- why- why are you calling me?"

Danny giggled. "Oh, just wanted to say hi, see how you're doing, ask if you've come up with any more evil schemes lately. So...have you? Well, even if you have I guess you wouldn't share them with me, seeing as how I'm your archenemy and all..."

"Daniel, are you drunk?"

He giggled again. "I'm fifteen, Plasmius! Well, I guess I _could_ get some from my parents' liquor cabinet if I really wanted to, but I wouldn't do that, since I'm not a lonely single ghost hybrid in my forties!" He laughed at his own joke.

Vlad set the reciever down and rubbed his temples. He'd been drunk dialed before, but never hyper-dialed. Inebriated business associates he could handle. Hyperactive teenagers, on the other hand...

He picked up the reciever and was about to tell Daniel to drink some nice chamomile tea- perhaps laced with the contents of several tranquilizer darts- when he had what could only be described as a flash of genius. Pure, evil genius.

"Daniel," he said, more calmly now, "how would like to help me play a joke on a mutual acquaintance of ours?"

"Which one?" A note of suspicion had crept into his voice.

"Walker."

There was a pause. "This isn't a trap, is it?" For a moment, Vlad feared Danny had snapped out of his hyperactivity.

"No, no, of course it isn't," Vlad assured him. "There's no rule against calling his cell phone."

"He has a cell phone?"

"Of course he does. He used it to humiliate me last December."

"Oh, so it's _revenge_! Okay, what do I have to do?"

Vlad smiled. "Just call his phone the way you called mine so you can see I'm not lying to you. Then feel free to text him whatever you like. And yes, the warden knows how to text. Don't let the revelation surprise you."

"Okay!"

Vlad gave him the number. "Oh, and Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"When you speak to him, be sure to let him know I remember the Christmas party." He hung up and set the phone on the end table, then sank into his armchair again. Revenge was, indeed, a dish best served by a hyperactive ghost hybrid.

* * *

_"Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do/ A-whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys, bad boys-" _

Walker flipped his cell phone open. "Hello?"

"Hi, Walker!"

Walker nearly dropped his phone- which would have been ugly, considering he was in a stall in the men's restroom. He caught it just in time, pulled up his pants and hissed into the reciever. "Phantom, how did you get this number?"

"Vlad gave it to me!" Danny laughed. "Yeah, I called him, and he was sorta mad, but then I think he remembered something...the Christmas party! He told me to tell you he remembered the Christmas party!"

Walker's hand slapped his forehead. "Oh, for the love of..."

"Yeah, then he gave me this number and told me to call you, and now I have. So...bye!" The line went dead. For a moment, Walker considered dropping the phone into the toilet on purpose. Experience and common sense told him this wasn't the last he would hear from Phantom.

* * *

Sure enough, his phone buzzed a minute or so later. _Hi again! _

Don't answer it, don't answer it, don't answer it...

Against every voice screaming for him to do the opposite, Walker tapped out a response._ Stop texting me, Phantom. I know where you live. _

_Not like you could even get in lol that's what she said_

How mature. _'That's What She Said' jokes don't annoy me, Phantom. _

_Sure they do! Why else would u tell me they didnt? _

He _had_ to stop tipping his hand like this. _Stop texting me or I'll make a rule against it. _

_Wouldnt YOU be breaking it now lol? _

_No. _

_y not? _

_Because. _

_bcs y? _

_Because I said so and I'm in charge and I make the rules! _

The phone was silent for a moment. _Good point. _

Finally, he admitted it. _Then stop texting me. _

_Not until u hear my deal. _

_Deal? _

_Send me the vid of watever Vlad did at the Xmas party, let me use it however i want, and ill try not to bug u 4 a year. _

_And in return? _

_U dont send me 2 prison. EVUR. 4 ANYTHING. _

Walker hesitated, then replied. _Does your plan involve posting it for the world to see? _

_My world, ur world and any other world that has internet access. _

Walker smiled. _Phantom, you have yourself a deal! _

_I want the vid and our deal put in writing. _

Stupid smart little hooligan. _Check your mailbox in half an hour. That's how long it'll take me to get the paperwork drawn up. I'll send the video to your cell phone after you've checked it over. _

_Perfect. I'll need more coffee. _

_

* * *

_

"Dude, could you not stand over my shoulder like that?"

Rolling his eyes, Walker took a step back. "Better?"

"Thanks." Danny gulped his coffee, set the cup on the desk and grabbed the mouse again. "I can't believe you didn't upload this already."

"Plasmius and I sorta had a deal..."

Danny glanced at Walker's reflection in a dark corner of the monitor. "Did that deal involve him hunting me down any chance he got?"

"Er..."

"That's what I thought." Danny sighed. "Don't worry; I'm used to it by now. And now that I have immunity..."

"Don't abuse it, Phantom. I cut you a break. Don't make me regret it."

"I won't, I won't. Just have to move the file...create a URL, and...Presto! There it is!"

He scooted his chair back, and Walker moved closer. He grinned. "Beautiful."

* * *

Walker's call was somewhat belated, but Vlad wasn't worried. He picked up the phone, a smile on his lips. "Well, Walker? Did you and Daniel have a nice chat?"

"Yes, we did, Plasmius. Thanks to you, Phantom and I got to know each other a little better. Did you know he's somethin' of an expert at uploadin' embarrassing videos?"

Vlad gripped the receiver with both hands. "You didn't."

The warden laughed. "I did. Or rather, Phantom did."

"Our deal is _off_."

"Oh, it's worth it. Believe me, I don't regret that at all." He hung up, and Vlad raced to the computer. Maybe Walker had lied. He wouldn't post that video. Even Walker wasn't that cruel. A single link dashed that reality to bits.

**Wisconsin Ghost Sings "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor **

Vlad's teeth clenched. "Daniel, you're a dead man!"


End file.
